A 2008 arrest of a major drug dealer is helping the Barnstable police fund a new downtown home.

The department’s share of more than a $350,000 in cash seized from now-convicted dealer Jimmy Smith will pay for a minimum three-year commitment to a station on Main Street.

Barnstable Police Chief Paul MacDonald said that getting the department back downtown has been a top priority since closing shop in January. A grant that funded a satellite station at the corner of North Street and Barnstable Road expired after one year, prompting its closure.

Equally important was finding funding that would not require tax dollars and be sufficient to maintain a presence of at least three years.

“We want to be right on Main Street,” MacDonald said in a Nov. 10 phone interview.

The most recent station elevated the department’s presence, providing the same access to records and information as the police facility on Phinney’s Lane. The department preferred it to be called the Hyannis Station, not a substation, as an indication of how it was to be staffed and used.

A request for proposals issued Nov. 5 indicates the department would like a minimum of 1,000 square feet on Main Street between Ocean and Sea Streets costing no more than $1,875 a month.

In September, Paul MacDonald said that there had been some discussions with the Hyannis Public Library about leasing space, and that other offers have been made.

A pre-bid meeting is scheduled for Nov. 16, with final proposals due to the town no later than 2 p.m. on Dec. 17.

For more information, log in to the Bid and RFP section of the town’s Web site, town.barnstable.ma.us.